FIVE Man United stars are handed second-lowest grade possible in brutal Bild player ratings – and even goalscorers are ‘average’ – as European papers slam ‘small team’ who ‘psychologically collapsed’
Five Manchester United players have been brutally given poor grades German newspaper Bild following their performance in their 4-3 defeat to Bayern Munich.
Erik ten Hag’s men were well beaten by Harry Kane’s Bayern on Wednesday evening despite the close score and the defeat means the struggling Red Devils have now lost four of their first six games in 2023/24, including three in a row.
And almost half of United’s starting XI for the match at the Allianz Arena received the second-lowest possible grade from Bild in their player ratings after the match.
Four of the five United players Bild gave a ‘5’ – with 1 being their best rating and 6 their worst – were predictably on defense after Bayern picked them apart with ease.
United’s new £47.2m goalkeeper Andre Onana was given the low score for his disastrous error in Bayern’s first goal, after Leroy Sane’s shot squirmed under his gloves and rolled into the back of his net.
Five Manchester United players received the second lowest rating in their viewing figures from Bild
United goalkeeper Andre Onana was one of five players to receive the damning assessment
He has now leaked 14 goals in six games since replacing David de Gea.
The two central defenders, Lisandro Martinez and Victor Linelof, also received the meager scores, while Diogo Dalot was hammered for his performance by the German newspaper.
Give players a score from 1-6 – where ‘1’ is the highest grade a player or manager can receive, while ‘6’ is the lowest
Facundo Pellistri also did not escape the damn low score when he came on for Antony on the right.
Ten Hag himself received the second-lowest possible rating, despite his side’s late comeback, which kept them within one goal of an equalizer in the closing moments.
Sergio Reguilon and Christian Eriksen each received four points, while the rest of United’s starting XI – Ramus Hojlund, Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro – all received an average score of 3 from Bild.
And it wasn’t just the German press that attacked the Red Devils after the shocking defensive performance in Munich.
Spanish sports newspaper Marca ruthlessly labeled United a ‘small team’ after sending four goals.
Marca’s Ramon Garcia wrote: ‘The Dutch coach (Ten Hag) ends one of the most difficult weeks ever at Old Trafford for the Red Devils in Munich. Manchester United came to the Allianz Arena as the big team should be, but every blow from Bayern turned it little by little into a small team.”
French news channel L’Equipe – famous for their own brutal player ratings – claimed the result had plunged United ‘a little deeper into crisis’, while Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport echoed Paul Scholes’ comments, claiming the team had ‘psychologically collapsed’.
Onana allowed Leroy Sané’s weak effort to give Bayern Munich the lead
Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof, Diogo Dalot and Facundo Pellitri received the low score
United went down 2-0 at the Allianz Arena after Onana’s howler gifted Sane the opener in the 28th minute before Serge Gnabry doubled the hosts’ lead four minutes later.
They pulled one back through new £72m striker Hojlund, but wilted again after Kane’s controversial penalty restored Bayern’s two-goal lead.
Casemiro scored two late goals for the Ten Hag side, with both sides of Mathys Tel adding a fourth goal for the home side in stoppage time.
Speaking to TNT Sports, former Man United star Scholes claimed his former side were guilty of collapsing through adversity.
Scholes admitted United would have done well to score three goals against the German champions on home turf, but believes Bayern could have done more damage to Ten Hag’s under-pressure team.
Bruno Fernandes (left) helped bring back the pride as United got late goals back
Paul Scholes’ comments about United collapsing easily were echoed by the European press
“There is a weakness in them,” Scholes said. ‘There’s a soft underbelly and they seem to collapse a bit when things go wrong.
Erik ten Hag also received a low score from Bild in the viewing figures on Wednesday
‘They scored three goals and that’s good, but I felt like Bayern could then turn it on and score another goal.
‘I thought there was a big distance between the teams, especially in that second half.
‘I thought they did well in the first half, but due to a lack of concentration they still conceded two goals.
‘There is experience in the team, but I don’t think it is being used. Concentration in Europe is so important: as soon as you concede one goal, it can become two or three.
‘None of those center halves say: “Look, Casemiro and Eriksen are coming in here”.
“Do Casemiro and Eriksen say to the wide players: come next to me, let’s calm the game down?”
The result only puts more pressure on Ten Hag, who faces major problems both on and off the pitch as he desperately tries to turn the club around.